Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Kelsey Jencso
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Forest Management
Abstract / Artist's Statement
As climate change increases drought severity in forested ecosystems, knowledge of hillslope-to-catchment scale ecohydrological processes is necessary to inform adequate conservation, restoration, and management. Drought impacts atmospheric demand and soil water availability, which are considered important drivers of plant growth and water stress. This soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) characterizes the movement of water from the soil, through plants, and into the atmosphere. In mountain landscapes, gradients in elevation, aspect, and local topography may contribute to significant differences in SPAC and therefore vegetation response. Recent modeling of this system’s dynamics has become an important focus of ecohydrological studies. However, these studies are theoretical in nature. There has been limited field-based research to characterize how SPAC and tree growth may vary across complex mountain terrain. We are proposing to use observational data on soil moisture, atmospheric demand, and tree growth to observe SPAC patterns in time and space within a semiarid Montana watershed. Furthermore, a collection of soil samples and subsequent lab analysis will allow us to quantify SPAC and its spatiotemporal patterns at two hillslope sites, thus presenting a physical mechanism for the organization of plant growth across the landscape. As such, we hypothesize that hillslope position is a main driver of SPAC, and that timing and duration of tree growth is related to landscape patterns of SPAC. Our findings should contribute to critical understanding of landscape scale vegetation responses to changes in water availability and demand, important for addressing the ramifications of climate change.
Category
Life Sciences
How is seasonal tree growth related to soil-atmosphere variation in water potential at the hillslope scale?
UC 331
As climate change increases drought severity in forested ecosystems, knowledge of hillslope-to-catchment scale ecohydrological processes is necessary to inform adequate conservation, restoration, and management. Drought impacts atmospheric demand and soil water availability, which are considered important drivers of plant growth and water stress. This soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) characterizes the movement of water from the soil, through plants, and into the atmosphere. In mountain landscapes, gradients in elevation, aspect, and local topography may contribute to significant differences in SPAC and therefore vegetation response. Recent modeling of this system’s dynamics has become an important focus of ecohydrological studies. However, these studies are theoretical in nature. There has been limited field-based research to characterize how SPAC and tree growth may vary across complex mountain terrain. We are proposing to use observational data on soil moisture, atmospheric demand, and tree growth to observe SPAC patterns in time and space within a semiarid Montana watershed. Furthermore, a collection of soil samples and subsequent lab analysis will allow us to quantify SPAC and its spatiotemporal patterns at two hillslope sites, thus presenting a physical mechanism for the organization of plant growth across the landscape. As such, we hypothesize that hillslope position is a main driver of SPAC, and that timing and duration of tree growth is related to landscape patterns of SPAC. Our findings should contribute to critical understanding of landscape scale vegetation responses to changes in water availability and demand, important for addressing the ramifications of climate change.